


Of Accidents & Miracles

by Josh89



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adorable, Aged-Up Character(s), Alive Bianca di Angelo, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Blind Date, Break Up, Certain dead characters are still alive, Coffee, Cute, Cute Nico, Developing Relationship, Don't copy to another site, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Grover (Percy Jackson) is a Good Friend, Grover is very important to the story, Happy Nico, Love at First Sight, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson Friendship, Originally Posted Elsewhere, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, POV Alternating, Past Relationship(s), Past Tense, Percy is a Dork, Post-High School, Posted Elsewhere, Pre-Relationship, SO MANY TAGS!!, Sherlock Scan, So is Juniper, Tags Are Fun, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tags May Change, There are definitely more characters involved than mentioned, possibly anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-10-31 09:59:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17847263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh89/pseuds/Josh89
Summary: 22 year old Percy Jackson never thought he'd find the girl of his dreams in New York City. Not after what happened the last few times. 22 year old Annabeth Chase thought her heart was irreparably broken after her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend. When two strangers collide outside a coffee shop, will they find what they're truly looking for in each other? AU, all mortal, modern. Slight spoilers, high chance of characters being OOC.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a project that I've been working on for a while on another website and since it's up to approximately 12 Chapters there, I thought it was a good time to post it here too. The story does have more relationships in it than are tagged at first (and more will be added when they become relevant), and the POV alternates depending on the situation. Notes in the beginning of all future chapters will include what characters have perspectives in that chapter.
> 
> This chapter contains the following perspectives:  
> Annabeth Chase  
> Percy Jackson.

-Annabeth Chase-  
~Three days ago~  
I was furious. Both with myself, for ever thinking that Luke could change, and with Luke himself, for being so damned good-looking. "You slept with my best friend! How the fucking hell could you do that to me, Luke?".  
"I was bored, okay? We barely see each other any more. And when we do, we don't do anything together!"  
"Oh? And whose fucking fault is that exactly? You're always off gallivanting around the world for your father's company, and I'm here in New York waiting for the day that you realize your girlfriend should be worth more to you than some goddamn job!" I retorted.  
At this point we were probably disturbing the neighbors with our shouting, but I was at a point where I just didn't care who heard me. All I wanted, all I really desired, was to make sure that Luke realized just how badly his betrayal had hurt me. And there was one surefire way to do that. "It would never have happened, Annabeth. You stopped meaning anything to me weeks ago".  
His words only confirmation of what I already knew, I turned and walked towards the bathroom. A long, hot, shower would be just what I needed to clear my head. "Grab your things. I want you gone by the morning. And I never, ever, want to see you again".  
"Annabeth..."  
Why couldn't he take the hint already? It was time to stop pretending. Our relationship had started out well enough, sure, but neither of us had ever been fully invested in it. It was dead, had been for a long time, no matter how hard either of us had tried to resurrect it. We were bound to break eventually, we'd just been postponing the inevitable. I realized it, why couldn't he? "It's over. Goodbye, Luke".  
~Present day~  
I walked briskly down the sidewalk towards Central Park, my grey eyes misty with the memories of all the good times that Luke and I... And Thalia, I supposed... had had together. I had left in rather a hurry that morning, giving myself barely any time to style my hair properly, so the golden-blonde locks hung listlessly around my face, framing my slender features. "Watch out!"  
I was broken from my contemplation by a yelled warning just seconds before someone smacked into me, sending both the both of us tumbling to the ground. "I am so sorry about that! I was so busy thinking about my ex-boyfriend that I didn't notice I'd stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk" I apologized quickly.  
He smiled at me and got easily to his feet, brushing his jeans down before reaching down to help me up. I smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks".  
"You're welcome".  
His sea-green eyes met my grey ones, and I could almost feel my heart skip a beat. Oh, he's cute... We stood like that for a few minutes, each of us holding the other's gaze, until at last he spoke. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name".  
He spoke calmly, and gently, and his green eyes sparkled like the sea when they caught the light. My thoughts flashed quickly to how much friendlier his voice was than Luke's, how perfect his face, unmarked by the scar that had marred Luke's features, was. No. No more thinking about Luke. No more comparing other people to Luke. Luke is in the past, you need to move on with your life. Give the guy your name. I laughed gently in response. "I didn't exactly offer it, did I? Annabeth Chase".  
I extended my hand in an offer of friendship, and he shook it with an impressively firm grip. "Percy Jackson. It's a pleasure to meet you, Annabeth Chase. Would you care to join me for a coffee?"  
I smiled back at him, and, for the first time in what felt like a long time, didn't feel like making an excuse and walking away. I supposed that was progress. Despite the fact that I had only just met him, I slipped my arm through his and smiled at him once more. "I'd like that".  
-Percy Jackson-  
~Two hours ago~  
"It's been three weeks since you last dated anyone, Percy!" Grover, who had been my roommate and best friend for almost as long as I could remember, complained.  
I sighed dramatically and pulled my earbuds free, dangling them from one finger. "What do you suggest I do then? It's always the same thing. I go on a date with a girl, everything seems to be going fine, and then she ends up falling for someone else instead!"  
"Let Juniper and I set you up on a blind date with one of her friends. Apparently, she knows one who would be perfect for you".  
I considered this idea. Juniper, Grover's girlfriend of four years, had quite a few female friends, and both she and Grover had been trying to set me up on blind dates with said friends for slightly over one and a half years. Quite frankly, I kind of wished they'd just stop it. "You both say that every single time. And they never are".  
"Oh, but this time we actually mean it".  
I rolled my eyes. "You say that every time too".  
I thought about it briefly, mentally weighing the pros and cons, then sighed. What did I have to lose... "Fine, set the damn date up. This is the last one though. If it doesn't work out, you two have to promise to stay out of my romantic life for at least the rest of the year and let me find my own girlfriend. Agreed?"  
He nodded. "Agreed. On the other hand, if it does work out, I get to decide what movie we watch this weekend".  
"Fine".  
I stood and headed for the door, grabbing my phone from my desk and slipping it into my pocket before pulling my jacket from the hanger nearby. "You going anywhere in particular?" Grover queried.  
I shrugged. "Just out. I'll be back later".  
~Now~  
"I am so sorry about that! I was so busy thinking about my ex-boyfriend that I didn't notice I'd stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk"  
I smiled slightly at the speaker as I got easily to my feet and brushed the dirt of my jeans before offering my hand to help her up. She smiled gratefully back at me. "Thanks".  
"You're welcome".  
I was momentarily entranced by the way that her stormy grey eyes sparkled as she looked at me. Gods, she was beautiful. Her skin was slightly tanned, giving the idea that she was from California or somewhere close to a beach, and she was slender, but not to the point of being unhealthy. This girl was special, there was no doubt about that, and I couldn't help but want to know more about her. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name".  
She laughed, a clear, musical, sound that made me almost question my own disbelief in 'love at first sight'. "I didn't exactly offer it, did I? Annabeth Chase".  
She extended her hand in a gesture of friendship, and I shook it. Her grip was pleasantly firm, giving the impression that she knew what she was capable of and refused to let life get her down (or for very long, if it did). "Percy Jackson. It's a pleasure to meet you, Annabeth Chase. Would you care to join me for a coffee?"  
I gestured to the small coffee shop that we were standing outside of as I extended my offer to her. For the briefest of moments, it looked like she was seriously considering turning down my offer, but instead she smiled at me and slipped her arm through mine. "I'd like that".


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives this chapter:  
> Mysterious woman (Third-Person)  
> Annabeth  
> Percy

-Unknown woman-  
~1 hour ago~  
The woman's iPhone chimed quietly on the desk in front of her and she reached out one slender hand to pick it up, tapping the 'answer' button before putting the small device to her ear. "Hello?"  
"It's me".  
The woman smiled slightly. "What news, Ju?" she queried.  
"I heard back from Grover regarding that blind date with his friend" came the reply.  
"And?"  
The woman was doing her best to keep her voice level, to not show any emotion, but it was clear to her friend that she was eager for news. "His friend agreed".  
Sighing in relief, the young woman couldn't help but smile. "Good. How much has your boyfriend told him?"  
"Nothing".  
That was all the listener needed to hear. "Alright then. Set the date up. Just be sure to actually book the table in advance this time. We both remember what happened yesterday, after all".  
"Don't remind me..."  
There was the brief sound of something being scribbled on a piece of paper from the other end of the line, before her friend spoke again. "6 pm tomorrow, that little Italian place near Central Park".  
"The one with that pasta and the cheesecake that was so good you actually moaned in pleasure every time you took a bite, which almost resulted in both of us getting thrown out?" the woman chuckled.   
"The very same".  
She smiled, brushing a strand of her blonde hair out of her eyes, and made a note of the time on her phone. "Alright. Thanks for the help, Ju. I appreciate it".  
"For you? Always".  
The woman tapped a button on her phone to end the call, her smile widening as she got back to the drawing that she was working on. It may have only been a matter of days since her last relationship ended, but she was ready to fall in love again. She was definitely back in the game.  
-Annabeth Chase-  
~Present day~  
"You actually called your English teacher an old sot?" I asked in disbelief.  
Percy nodded sheepishly. I kind of got the impression that it hadn't been one of his proudest moments. "That was ten years ago. I hadn't been having a very good year, and when he asked me why I was too lazy to study for exams, I just sort of snapped. I wasn't sure exactly what it meant at the time, but it definitely sounded good".  
I couldn't help but laugh. It was just so... odd. "That's definitely different, I'll say that much. Any other... incidents... I might be interested in learning about?"  
"Well, there was the cannon accident in fifth grade and the shark pool incident in fourth grade..."  
I took a sip from my coffee, raising an eyebrow at the young man across from me as I set the cup down on the table again. I can't have heard him right... "I'm sorry, did you just say 'accident with a cannon'?" I queried.  
"Yes".  
Interesting... "Okay, I'm officially interested. Do tell".  
He nodded quietly. "Field trip to the Saratoga Battlefield in fifth grade. I was leaning against an old Revolutionary War cannon when it went off unexpectedly. Of course, I wasn't intentionally aiming for the school bus, but I still got expelled anyway..."  
Who would have thought old cannons were still loaded? I wondered. "What about the shark pool incident in fourth grade?"  
"Behind the scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool. It was completely unintentional, I swear, but I sort of accidentally hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and the entire class took an unplanned swim".  
Just how unlucky is this guy? I mused. "Was anyone hurt?"  
He shook his head. "No. Everyone came out in one piece. Anyway, enough about my troubled educational background, I think. Tell me about yourself".  
I shrugged. "Alright, but I'll warn you now. My history is probably nowhere near as interesting as yours".  
He gave me a soft smile in return. "You don't have to share your history with me if you don't want to. Just tell me about present day Annabeth Chase instead" he offered simply.  
One thing I prided myself on, though I had only recently become good at it, was my ability to cold-read people. To get a sense of how they felt towards their environment, or towards whatever situation they found themselves in, just by looking at their body language and facial expressions. And, right now, I could tell that Percy was being completely genuine. He was offering me a way out in case I didn't want to discuss my history. But I wasn't going to take it. He'd shared his; it was only fair that I returned the favour. "Firstly, my parents divorced a couple of years after I was born. My father remarried when I was five, and my step-mother and I... well, we never really had the best relationship. I ran away when I was seven, and ended up making a couple of friends, who helped me to get here, to New York, safely. I lived with my mother until I was 12, which was about the time that my father got in contact with me. He wanted me to go back to him, to my stepmother, and my two half-brothers. To try being a proper family for once, I suppose. After giving it some very careful thought, I eventually agreed, and, after days of back and forth discussions, we eventually decided that I'd spend the summer here in New York with my mother, and the rest of the year living with my dad in San Francisco".  
I paused to give Percy time to register what I had just said. His eyes had never left mine even once while I was speaking, which under any other circumstances, if it was any other person, might have irritated me. But when it was him, strangely I didn't mind at all. "So, what changed? Something must have, after all" he asked quietly.  
"I grew up, decided I wanted to attend college here. I left San Francisco when I was 18, only gone back since then for birthdays and the occasional family gathering or Christmas party".  
"I'm curious. What do you do for a living?"  
"I'm an architect for a company in the city center. What about you?"  
He smiled again. He definitely smiles more than Luke... "I'm actually working at a local aquarium at the moment. I love anything to do with the water, so getting to spend all day around sea creatures is perfect for me".  
"Sounds like it must be a lot of fun".  
"Oh, it certainly is. If you drop by sometime, maybe I'll show you around".  
I smiled at him. I definitely hadn't felt this free, this happy, around anyone since... well, I suppose since about a month before I had broken up with Luke. I definitely liked the feeling. "I'd enjoy that. Thank you".  
It was at that very moment that my phone chirped quietly. I pulled it out of my pocket and glanced at the small screen before cursing, downing the last of my coffee, and getting to my feet. "I'm sorry, Percy, but I really have to go. I have an important meeting at work in 25 minutes, and I really can't afford to be late. Especially since I'm taking tomorrow off. Thanks for the coffee though".  
He nodded, getting to his feet and draining the last of his own coffee. "You're welcome. It was very nice to meet you, Annabeth Chase" he said simply, extending his hand.  
I smiled at him, gripping his hand in a motion that already felt strangely comfortable to me. "And the same to you, Percy Jackson. Who knows, maybe we'll meet again".  
"Maybe".  
I could feel him slip something into my hand just before he broke contact with me. I was curious as to what it was, but I had no real desire to seem too eager to see what he had given me. I nodded slightly to him. "I'd better be going. Goodbye".  
"Goodbye".  
With that said, I tossed my empty coffee cup into the bin before walking out of the coffee shop and back the way I had originally come, not stopping to check what he had given me until I was well out of range. Pressed into my hand was a small piece of blue and green cardboard, with the address of one of the more well-known aquariums in the city on it, along with my new friend's name and a phone number. Percy Jackson - Senior Aquarist. I slipped the card into my pocket, turning slightly to flag down a passing cab. As soon as it stopped, I hopped in and gave the driver the address of the office building I worked at before settling back in the leather seat to wait. Maybe it wasn't going to be such a boring week after all...  
-Percy Jackson-  
As I watched my new friend walk out of the coffee shop, I couldn't help but sigh wistfully. It was almost unfair, to be honest. No matter how perfect the girl that ended up being my blind date was, she'd never be able to match the girl who had just left the coffee shop. I could only hope that she took my suggestion and showed up at the aquarium sometime. She was appealing, and I couldn't help but want to know everything there was to know about her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives in this chapter: Percy Jackson.

“Percy!”  
I turned from my apartment door, grinning at the younger man. “Good to see you again, Nico. I was starting to wonder whether you were actually going to come back from San Francisco or not”.  
Nico chuckled. “Hey, I’ve only been gone for two weeks”.  
I pulled my keys from my pocket and unlocked the apartment door before stepping inside. Nico followed me in, pushing the door closed behind us as I took off my jacket. “Do you remember Reyna and Octavian?”  
I thought quickly. Reyna had attended high school in New York with Grover, Nico, and myself for a couple of years before she suddenly moved to California and we hadn’t seen her since. Octavian had been a close friend of ours, until five months before graduation, when he had suddenly started acting like a jerk. “Yeah, I remember them. Why?”  
“They’re dating now, apparently. Have been for about three months” Nico said simply.  
Didn’t see that coming. “Reyna’s dating Octavian? This is the same Octavian that we went to high school with, right?”  
“I was just as surprised as you are now. It turns out that Octavian actually had a really good reason for being such a jerk. Or, at least what he thought was a good reason” Nico shrugged.  
I walked back into the lounge and sank back down into my desk chair. “What was this reason of his, then?”  
“He had only just learned that his mother was dying from breast cancer, and was pushing us away because he was scared of losing us”.  
I raised an eyebrow. “That’s pathetic. The very thing he was afraid of doing just so happened to be the very same thing that ended up happening”.  
“Reyna said much the same thing. Apparently she then told Octavian to act like an adult and to take responsibility for his mistakes. Oh, and to stop his obsession with stabbing knives into soft toys. That was a major focal point of their discussion”  
“I’ll never understand those two…” I muttered.  
Nico threw himself into the closest chair to mine. “So… Would you happen to know if Rachel has started seeing anyone in the past two weeks?” he queried.  
I paused, considering this. The last time Rachel and I had spoken was just under a week ago, when she had confessed that part of the reason that she had broken up with me a month before was that she had started to realize that she was developing a crush on Nico. She had just been too nervous to approach him about it. “I don’t believe she is, no. Why?”  
“I was kind of thinking about asking her out”.  
I smiled, placing a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “I say go for it. You never know, she might feel the same way about you”.  
“You think?”  
“You’ll never know unless you give it a shot, right?”  
He took a second to think about what I had just said, before nodding. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right, Percy. Alright then, it’s settled. I’m going to talk to her tomorrow and ask her out. By the way, have you heard anything from London?”  
“No, not yet”  
It was then that Grover walked in, his brown hair damp from the shower that he had clearly just gotten out of. Nico sighed. “I… I just miss her, you know?”  
His voice was so soft that I could barely even hear him. However, since I had known him for long enough that I knew exactly what he was talking about, that really didn’t matter. “I miss her too, man. I really do. But you have to admit that she wouldn’t want you to mope around like this” I replied.  
A silence fell over the room as I finished speaking, one which was only broken by the ringing of my iPhone a couple of minutes later. “I’ll be right back. Why don’t you guys order pizza or something?”  
I stood, walking into my bedroom, and closed the door behind me before pulling the small device from my pocket, swiping my finger across the touchscreen to accept the call. “Hello?”  
“Hi Percy”  
I recognized the woman on the other side of the line immediately. She spoke perfect English, though with the slightest trace of an Italian accent similar to Nico’s own. “We were just talking about you”.  
She laughed. “Nothing bad, I hope”.  
“No, nothing bad at all. Nico was just saying how much he missed you, that’s all”  
“I’m glad to hear it”  
I smiled slightly. “Good. How’s London?” I queried.  
“Cold and foggy. Quite wet, too. Anyway, I didn’t call you because I wanted to talk about the weather in London. I called you for a totally different reason instead”  
My curiosity is officially roused. “Do tell”.  
“I need your help to surprise Nico”.  
“Alright, Bia, what do you need me to do?”  
I could tell she was smiling on the other side of the phone. It was like she had been waiting for me to ask her what I could do to help. “It’s quite simple. Between three and five minutes from now there will be a knock at your apartment door. All you need to do is answer it, and I’ll take care of the rest”.  
“Deal”  
“Good. I’ll see you soon, Percy” she said quietly before hanging up.  
I tapped a button to end the call before slipping my phone back into my pocket and walking back into the lounge where Nico and Grover were waiting. Nico glanced at me questioningly as I sat back down. “What was that about?”  
I smiled slightly. “You’ll find out soon enough”.  
~Between 3 and 5 minutes later~  
Knock, knock. I rose instantly from my chair, already walking towards the door into the small hallway that separated the lounge and the front door. “I’ll get it”.  
My statement was met by murmurs of agreement from the couch on the other side of the lounge, where Nico and Grover were currently seated. Opening the door, I was greeted by the sight of a young raven-haired woman who was maybe a year older than me. “It’s so good to see you again, Percy” she said quietly.  
I threw my arms around the girl, pulling her into a tight hug. “It’s good to see you too, Bia. You have no idea how much we’ve missed you”.  
“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea… Is Nico around?”  
I nodded. “Yeah, he is, actually. He’s watching TV with Grover in the lounge at the moment”.  
Bianca and I walked back through the hallway and into the lounge, where the other two were still engrossed in whatever television program they were currently watching. Bianca coughed quietly. When that gained no response, she turned to me. “Are they usually this unobservant?”  
“Not at all, Bia. And, considering that I hinted to your brother that something interesting was going to happen soon after your call, you’d think that he at least would be paying more attention, wouldn’t you?”  
I had been watching the back of Nico’s head carefully as I spoke, and I didn’t miss the fact that he jerked in his seat as if he’d been stung when I mentioned his sister’s nickname. Bianca laughed, having obviously caught the movement as well, and the younger boy leapt to his feet instantly, turning to face us. He blinked twice, as if not really sure what he was seeing. “Bia? Is that you?”  
The girl smiled. “It’s me, il mio fratellino. I’ve missed you so much”  
Nico took a couple of steps forwards, still unsure that she was really there, and then flung himself into her arms. “It really is you...”  
I smiled and walked over to join my roommate by the TV, leaving the siblings to their reunion. As I reached the couch, Grover’s phone rang, and he sighed, quickly pausing whatever was on tv before picking the device up and answering. “Yes?”  
He listened intently for a few seconds before replying. “She did? Oh, that’s great news. So she’ll be meeting him at that Italian place by Central Park at 6 tomorrow night?”.  
He listened for a couple of seconds longer. “Okay, great. I’ll let him know, and I’ll make sure that he’s there on time. You’re absolutely brilliant, you know that, right?”  
Another response, to which he laughed. “Of course. With the amount of times every week that I tell you, I would be surprised if you even had time to forget. Alright, thanks again, Juniper. Bye”.  
He hung up and switched his phone off before turning to me. “That was Juniper. The girl I told you about earlier has agreed to the blind date. You’re meeting her at that little Italian restaurant near Central Park at 6pm tomorrow. And you are not going to be late”.  
~6pm the next night~  
“Can I help you?”  
The crisp voice of the hostess filled the small restaurant. “I have a reservation for two under the name ‘Underwood’”.  
The woman’s voice was calm and in control as she responded, and I couldn’t help but find it just the slightest bit familiar. There was a pause, which I assumed was caused by the older woman checking the list in front of her, before she spoke again. “Of course. Please, follow me right this way. I believe your date is already here”.  
Well, time to find out who this girl that both Grover and Juniper think will be perfect for me is I mused. Footsteps echoed through the restaurant as the hostess led the young woman towards the table at which I was seated. I pretended to study the menu as they drew closer and closer, soon coming to a stop on the other side of the table from me. “Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Someone will be over shortly to take your orders. Enjoy your night”.  
As the older woman turned to walk back to the podium at the front of the restaurant, there was a rustle of fabric as the woman I was supposed to be meeting sat down in the chair across from me. “So you’re Grover’s friend, then?”  
Her voice was definitely familiar, a voice I had definitely heard as recently as some time in the last week. It couldn’t be... could it? I nodded. “That would be me, yes. And can I assume that that means you are Juniper’s friend?”  
She laughed. “You can indeed”.  
I looked up from the menu, running my eyes briefly, appraisingly, over her. She was tall, maybe a couple of inches shorter than me, with perfectly tanned skin. She wore a simple but elegant black strapless black dress that hugged her figure tightly without being indecent, and a small, heart-shaped pendant hung on a golden chain around her swan-like neck. She wore almost no makeup, and her blonde hair hung down to the lowest point of her chin before curling gently outwards, framing her slender features perfectly. However, it was her eyes that caught my attention the most. The grey of storm clouds, they flickered almost imperceptively as she stared at me, and I could see them widen as the realization set in. As I opened my mouth to speak, I knew that, whatever this was, it was most definitely not an accident. “Hi, Annabeth”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we go then. Bianca's alive, Nico is happy, Annabeth was the mysterious girl in the beginning of Chapter 2 (and is thus Percy's blind date).  
> And yes, I know that Nico is gay in canon but this was written before House of Hades so this is what I'm sticking to.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives in this Chapter:   
> Annabeth Chase  
> Percy Jackson.

-Annabeth Chase-  
“So you’re Grover’s friend, then?”  
The young man sitting across from me nodded. And when he spoke, I felt my breath catch in my throat. I knew his voice. Not as well as I knew the voices of some people I knew, but still enough to recognize him. “That would be me, yes. And can I assume that that means you are Juniper’s friend?” he responded.  
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You can indeed”.  
He looked up from the menu he was staring at, and I took the chance to study him appraisingly as he did the same to me. He was wearing a pair of plain blue jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, which seemed to fit him quite well. A black jacket, obviously what he had worn to the restaurant, hung on the back of his chair. There was a small silver chain around his neck, disappearing under his shirt, and I couldn’t help but wonder what might be at the end of the chain. His black hair fell into his eyes, and as he reached up with one pale hand and brushed it out of the way, I noticed his eyes were an almost emerald green in color. There’s just no way it could be him. Seriously, what are the chances of that happening? I wondered. As his eyes met mine, I stared at him, and my eyes widened as the realization of exactly who the young man sitting across from me was set in. I opened my mouth to say something, to comment on the chance of this happening to the two of us meeting under these circumstances, but he beat me to it. “Hi, Annabeth”.  
I smiled slightly. “Hello, Percy. Nice to see you again so soon”  
“I could say the same about you. Wow. You look... you look incredible”.  
I felt myself blush. “Why, thank you. For the record, you don’t look too bad yourself”  
Percy glanced back down at the menu, though I could see his cheeks were reddening. “Thank you. Any idea what you’re going to order?”  
I scanned the menu briefly to make sure what I wanted to order was there. “My usual. Chicken parmigana with a garden salad on the side. What about you?”  
“I think I might try the lasanga, actually. I’ve heard some good things about it, it would be nice to see the truth of those claims for myself” he replied.  
The waiter walked over and introduced himself to us before asking us what we wanted to eat. After we had repeated our orders to him, and as he walked off towards the kitchen, Percy sat back in his chair, his green eyes meeting my grey ones. “So. How long have you known Juniper?”  
-Percy Jackson-  
“So. How long have you known Juniper?” I queried.  
Annabeth thought quickly. “We were roommates in college, starting from our first year, and we’ve been best friends since then. And how long have you known Grover?”  
“Honestly? He’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember. We met when I was 6, and we’ve been best friends ever since. We went to college together, and we were roommates while we were there. Once we graduated, we got an apartment not far from here, and we’ve been living together ever since then”.  
The blonde-haired woman nodded. “You never told me about your family. What’re they like?”  
I considered the question. “My parents divorced a couple of years after I was born, and my mother remarried when I was five. We both thought her new husband, Gabe Ugliano, was a really nice guy. And he was, the first few months we knew him. Then, after my mother married him, he turned out to be a violent, abusive, gambling-addicted, drunkard. My mother divorced him three years later, he went to jail, and my mother ended up falling in love with and marrying my high-school English teacher, a man named Paul Blofis, after they met at a creative writing course.”  
Annabeth looked surprised. “Wow. That’s kind of... soap operash-ish, if you know what I mean. No offense meant, of course”  
I smiled slightly. “None taken. You’re right, it does sound a bit soap opera-ish. But she’s happy, and Paul treats her like the amazing person that she is, which is all that really matters to me”.  
“What about your dad?”  
“He remarried his first ex-wife, who he already had a son named Triton with, and, as far as I know, they’re still perfectly happy. Haven’t spoken to my father for a while now actually. Last I heard, they up and moved to Greece. Or Italy. Somewhere, anyway. I try not to let it concern me”  
“Okay” Annabeth nodded.  
I braced myself for her next question, though quickly snapped out of it as the waiter placed two plates on the table in front of us. “Will there be anything else?” he queried.  
Annabeth and I glanced at each other, and I nodded. “Yeah, could I have a coke please”.  
The waiter nodded. “Of course. And what about you, miss?”  
“I’d like a glass of red wine, please. And could we get a bottle of spring water for the table?”  
“Certainly”.  
The waiter made careful note of our order before walking off again. “You know, before you sat down, I was actually starting to wonder what the point of this date was going to turn out to be”  
Annabeth arched a perfect eyebrow. “What do you mean?”  
“After our chat at the coffee shop yesterday, as you left, I was thinking about how unfair this whole thing is. You’re intriguing, in a good way of course, and I thought that, no matter who my date ended up being, she would never end up being anything like you. I’m glad I was wrong, I really am”.  
She blushed. “Thank you. For the record, I’m glad I met you too”.  
~After dinner~  
We stood on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant, neither of us really sure what to say next. “Can I walk you home, Ms. Chase?” I queried, smiling at her.  
She smiled back. “I’d like that”.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives in this Chapter:  
> Percy Jackson

-Percy Jackson-  
“I still can’t believe you actually said that!” Annabeth laughed.  
I loved the sound of her laughter. It was like the sweetest music. Her laugh was infectious, and I couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Yeah, I’m kind of surprised I said it too. But in my defence, she did kind of deserve it...”  
“I can imagine. The nerve of some people, talking in the middle of a history lecture”   
It had turned out to be a beautiful evening once we left the restaurant, and, unwilling to end our date there, the two of us had decided to go for a walk through Central Park. After around twenty minutes, we’d made ourselves comfortable on the first park bench that we came across, and somehow my arm had slipped around her shoulder. She didn’t seem to mind though, instead leaning slightly more into me and resting her head on my shoulder. Wow. She must feel really comfortable around me to be doing this already. I get the feeling it’s not the kind of thing that she usually does on a first date... I thought idly, only dimly aware that my hand was stroking Annabeth’s arm. “Percy?”  
I turned my head to her, looking into her stormy-grey eyes. “Yes?”  
“It’s getting late. We should probably get going”.  
I sighed, reluctantly nodding. I honestly hadn’t had this much fun on a first date for ages, and if I was entirely honest, I wasn’t exactly sure that I was ready to end it just yet. She raised an eyebrow. “Something the matter?”  
I shook my head. “No, Annabeth, it’s nothing. It’s just... I haven’t had this much fun on a first date for a long time, and I’m not exactly sure that I want it to end just yet”.  
She smiled softly. “To tell the truth, I’m not sure I want tonight to end either. I haven’t enjoyed myself this much on a date with anyone since... well, since before Luke...”  
Her comment surprised me. “I’m sorry, did you just say Luke? As in Luke Castellan? He’s your ex-boyfriend?”  
She stared at me in shock. “Yeah, we broke up four days ago, after he cheated on me with my best friend. You know him?”  
I nodded. “I suppose you could say that. He’s dating Thalia, my cousin”.  
“Thalia Grace?”  
“She hasn’t used her last name since her mother died in a car crash and left her to take care of her younger brother, but yeah, that’s her. How do you know her?”  
Annabeth’s fists clenched momentarily. “She’s the best friend that Luke cheated on me with. She’s the straw that broke the camel’s back, the reason that Luke and I broke up four days ago”  
I pulled her closer. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. Thalia told me what she was doing, and I tried to stop her, but she refused to listen to me” I said quietly.  
She gave me a soft smile. “Honestly? It’s not your fault. Like I said, it was the last straw. Luke and I had plenty of other reasons to break up, it was just a matter of what would ultimately cause us to do so” she replied.  
As she spoke, she stood, stretching lazily. “I really do hate to admit it, but it’s time to go home. I have work tomorrow, and I’m pretty sure that you do too”  
I stood as well. “You’re right, I do”.  
~Shortly afterwards~  
“Well, I guess this is it”  
“Yeah, I guess it is”  
Annabeth got out of the cab onto the street outside her apartment building, and I followed her out. As I emerged onto the pavement, she smiled at me. “I had a great time tonight”  
“Me too”  
Before I knew what was happening, she was leaning in, pressing her lips against mine in a brief kiss, before pulling away. “Do you want to meet for coffee at around 1 pm tomorrow?” she whispered.  
I smiled, nodding, though I was still a little stunned by the fact that she had kissed me. “That would be great, actually”  
Annabeth’s smile widened. “Great. I’ll give you a call when I leave work, and we can arrange a meeting place”  
“Alright, I look forward to it”.  
And with those words, she walked through the doors that led into the lobby of her apartment building and I stepped back into the cab, settling into the leather seats and giving the driver my address. The sooner that I got home, the better.  
~Around half an hour later~  
Grover looked up as I closed the apartment door behind me. “How’d the date go?”  
I grinned, shrugging my jacket off and slinging it over the back of my chair. “Really well, actually. I have no idea how you and Juniper did it, Grover, but Annabeth is absolutely amazing. She’s brilliant, she’s gorgeous, and I can actually have fun with her”.  
“You seeing her again, then?” my roommate queried.  
“We’re meeting for coffee tomorrow afternoon. It’s kind of late, so I’m going to have a quick shower and then head to bed. Night”.  
Grover nodded. “Yeah, okay. Night, man”.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives this Chapter:  
> Nico Di Angelo  
> Percy Jackson

~11:30 am, the next day~  
-Nico-  
The pale-skinned Italian took another sip of the lukewarm coffee in front of him and leaned back in his chair, sighing as he felt the small coffee shop’s heating system kick in, sending much-needed warm air across his exposed arms. “Where the hell is she?” he muttered anxiously.  
“She was supposed to be here ten minutes ago”.  
After a couple more minutes waiting, and just as Nico was starting to put serious consideration towards the idea that he should cut his losses and leave before he wasted any more time waiting for someone who obviously wasn’t going to show up, the bell over the shop door tinkled quietly, and, as had been his habit for the past ten minutes, he looked up almost immediately, sighing in relief as the red-haired girl walked through the door. She smiled as she noticed him, and sank down into the soft leather of the chair across the table from him. “Hi, Nico”  
He smiled. “Good to see you made it, Rachel. I was starting to wonder if you were even going to show up or not”.  
He feigned indifference, but there was still a visible hint in his eyes that he was more bothered by her lateness than he was letting on. Rachel smiled softly, picking at a loose strand on one knee of the paint-stained jeans she was wearing. “Yeah. I’m really sorry about that, actually. I kind of fell asleep while watching TV and only woke up about twenty minutes ago”.  
He nodded understandingly. “Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. Anyway... Percy told me that you haven’t been seeing anyone... romantically... in the past two weeks?”  
Rachel nodded, never taking her eyes off of the black-haired young man across from her. “He told you the truth. Did he tell you what I said to him when I saw him last week?”  
Nico shook his head, and leaned forward in his seat, curious. “I wasn’t even aware that the two of you had talked last week. What did you say to him?”  
“I just told him that... That part of the reason I broke up with him a month ago was because I was starting to develop... feelings... for you”.  
Nico blinked. “You’re joking. You’re joking, right?”  
The red-haired girl looked confused. “No, why would you think I would joke about something that serious?”  
Nico leaned forward, taking another sip of his coffee, before responding. “It’s just... It’s funny to hear you say that you were starting to develop feelings for me. I’ve actually been wanting to ask you out since you and Percy broke up. In fact, part of the reason I asked you to meet me here was to ask you if you wanted to go see a movie tonight”.  
Rachel considered the suggestion for a couple of seconds. “Actually, I’d love to. What were you thinking of seeing?”  
“I actually haven’t decided yet. The new Marvel movie looks really good though”.  
Rachel nodded thoughtfully. “Actually, I’ve kind of been meaning to see that one...”  
~Elsewhere, at practically the exact same time~  
-Percy Jackson-  
“Hey, Percy!”  
I turned, nodding to my brown-haired colleague as he approached the tank where I was currently working. “What’s up, Ryan?”  
“There’s someone here asking to see you”.  
I was momentarily confused. As far as I knew, none of my friends ever dropped by the aquarium to surprise me, or even to take up my offer of a free tour. It was a habit formed over several years, and one that was slowly starting to annoy me. “Who?”  
Ryan shrugged. “She didn’t give a name. Tall, though. Maybe just a couple of inches shorter than you”.  
I raised an eyebrow. “With curly blonde hair and grey eyes?”  
“Yeah. How did you know?”  
I smiled slightly. No doubt about it whatsoever, it was Annabeth. “Lucky guess. Alright, lead the way”.  
We made our way back through the various tanks towards the gift shop entrance, and I smiled slightly as I spotted the blonde-haired girl standing in front of the piranha tank just outside the store, watching the red-bellied fish swim slowly back and forth. “Annabeth?”  
She glanced up, her face breaking into a soft smile as she noticed me. “Hi, Percy”.  
I moved towards her, pulling her into a hug. “What’re you doing here? Not that I’m complaining, I just wasn’t expecting to see you until 1, that’s all”.  
She laughed. “I finished work early, so I figured I’d drop by and surprise you. Maybe see if you wanted to get an early coffee and then we could come here and I could take you up on that tour you promised me?”  
“Actually, that sounds like a good idea”.  
Ryan coughed gently behind me. “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Percy?”  
I blushed. “Oh, right. Sorry, man. Annabeth, this is Ryan, one of my co-workers. Ryan, this is Annabeth, my...”  
I paused, thinking. Was girlfriend the best word to use to describe what Annabeth was to me? Sure, I hoped that she was my girlfriend. But we’d only been on one date, and that was only the day before. In fact, we’d only known each other for about three or four days. Luckily, Annabeth stepped in before I could embarrass myself further. “I’m his girlfriend. Nice to meet you, Ryan” she replied simply, extending her hand.  
He took it warmly, and they shook for a few seconds before he let go and turned to me, poking me in the shoulder with one finger. “Dude, you never mentioned you had a girlfriend”  
“Probably because we only started dating yesterday” Annabeth commented.  
I nodded, grinning. “Well, that’s the most important reason anyway”.  
I bent slightly, pressing a quick kiss to the cheek of the blonde-haired young woman who was now (apparently) my girlfriend. “Hey, I’m just going to grab my jacket and then we can go, alright? It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, I promise”  
Annabeth smiled gently. “Alright, I’ll wait here for you”.  
I turned to my colleague. “Ryan, can you let Mr. Brians know that I’m taking my break now?”  
“Of course, man”.  
“Thanks. I owe you”.  
“Damn right you do. But we’ll discuss that later. Just have fun, alright?”  
I chuckled. It was obvious why Ryan and I got along as well as we did. He was a damn good friend. “You know it”.  
He nodded before walking off in the direction of our boss’s office, and I stood next to Annabeth for a few seconds before she turned to me. “Weren’t you going to go get your jacket?”  
“Oh, right. Of course”.  
A couple of minutes later, I walked back to her, slipping my jacket on as I reached her. She smiled at me. “Ready to go?”  
“You bet”.  
Once outside, we paused to get our bearings, and I decided to take the opportunity to clarify something that had been bugging me. “So, you’re my girlfriend now?”  
Annabeth smiled. “I guess so. If you want me to be”.  
I couldn’t help but smile back at her. “I’d like nothing more. But to make it official...”  
I paused, taking a quick breath to steady my nerves (yes, I was nervous even though I already knew what she was going to say) before meeting her eyes. “Annabeth Chase, would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?”  
She laughed, nodding, reaching out to take my hand with her own, and her eyes sparkled with undisguised affection and happiness as she answered. “Yes. Yes, Percy, I will”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 - Nico is not gay in this AU story. I love the cuteness of Solangelo as much as anyone (in fact, as of Revelations in the Eternally Yours arc, they are together), but please remember that I wrote the chapter where Nico tells Percy he's thinking about asking Rachel out before BoO came out and we had no idea then that Nico was going to end up with Will so I took the opportunity to put Nico and Rachel together. Plus, since Bianca never died, Nico never became quite as obssessed with dark colors/shadows and things as he is canonically. Just saying.  
> 2 - The Percy in this storyline is... well, needless to say he's smarter than his canon counterpart. Not as... obtuse. And a bit more observant of his own feelings towards Annabeth. Still just as unlucky though. And just as loyal. And friendly. And, for the record, neither of them have Dsylexia/ADHD.  
> 3 - I'm currently working on a way to introduce Sally, Paul, and maybe even Tyson into the storyline (and not just having Percy mention them). If anyone has any ideas I'd love to discuss them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives this Chapter:  
> Percy Jackson

-Percy Jackson-  
“So”  
I sank into the wooden chair across the table from the blonde-haired woman who also just so happened to be my new girlfriend, examining her calmly as I reached for one of the coffee cups that sat on the table between us, taking a quick sip before setting it back down. She tilted her head slightly to the side, her grey eyes gleaming as she watched me in return, and a warm smile played across her features. Gods, she was beautiful. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get tired of watching her. “So?” she parroted, her eyes twinkling.  
I leaned forward. “Tell me about yourself, Annabeth”.  
“I thought we did this already. Remember the first discussion we had, two days ago?”  
I paused thoughtfully. I knew that she was talking about the conversation we had in the coffee shop, but that wasn’t going to stop me from pretending to be confused. “Funny, I remember the first conversation we had vividly, and at no point did you tell me about yourself. In fact, all that happened was you apologizing, me helping you to your feet, both of us introducing ourselves, and then me asking if you wanted to join me for a coffee. But you didn’t tell me a single thing about yourself, apart from your name and the fact that you had an ex-boyfriend”.  
She laughed gently. “I meant our first real conversation. The one in the coffee shop”.  
“I know you did. And yes, we did talk about ourselves, but we didn’t talk about much except our history. I want to know more about you, what you like, what you dislike. That sort of thing. And I‘m pretty sure that you want to know about my likes and dislikes as well”  
Annabeth paused thoughtfully, taking a sip of her own coffee, and then nodded. “In that case, how about we play a game of 20 Questions? We can take turns to ask questions until we’re completely satisfied”.  
“Sounds good. Ladies first”.  
She smiled slightly. “Always a gentleman, huh? Fine. Favorite color?”  
“Grey or silver, though blue is close behind those two. And what about yours?”  
“Either blue or a deep emerald green”.  
She nodded at me, silently acknowledging that it was my turn to ask a question. “Favorite movie or tv show?”  
“My favorite movie... Wow, that’s a hard question, but I’d have to say Interstellar. My favorite tv show is Grand Designs, just because of how interestingly-designed the buildings are, though I also enjoy watching Sherlock and Elementary. Your turn”.  
“My favorite movie is James Cameron’s Avatar. Grover and I used to watch it all the time in college. I’m also partial to the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly Avengers. As for my favorite tv show, well, that would have to be Arrow”.  
My blonde-haired girlfriend nodded, taking another sip of her coffee. “Alright. Least favorite musical genre?”  
“Hip-hop. Not sure why exactly, I’ve just never been a fan of it” I answered.  
“Interesting. I can’t stand heavy metal, personally. It gives me a headache. It always has”.  
I paused for a second, lifting my coffee cup to my mouth as I considered both her answer and my next question. “Favorite actor or actress?”  
Annabeth didn’t hesitate for even a second before responding. “Stana Katic”.  
“Interesting. David Boreanz”.  
“Ah. That’s the guy who played that vampire detective, right?”  
I nodded. So she knew of Angel. That was interesting.“That’s right. He also played the main FBI agent in Bones”.  
“Indeed he did. Alright, favorite videogame?”  
I smiled slightly, already knowing exactly what to say in reply. “The Elder Scrolls series. More specifically, Skyrim. What about you?”  
Annabeth smiled slightly. “The Sims, actually. Especially The Sims 3. Like I said before, I work in architecture, and creating virtual houses is good practice for designing them in real life”.  
Thinking about what she had said, I nodded. It made sense. “Alright, my turn again then. If you could have any one thing in your life, what would that one thing be and why?”  
Annabeth paused thoughtfully. “Honestly? I’d want to have the chance to spend more time with my dad. Ever since I moved here full time, I haven’t really seen him much. What about you?”  
“A family, actually. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy living with Grover, I really do, and I wouldn’t give up living with him for a long time. It’s just that... sometimes I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be married. Or to have kids. You don’t think that’s weird, do you?”  
My blonde-haired girlfriend smiled softly at me. “Actually, I think it’s kind of cute. And honestly, it makes a refreshing change. Most guys are so focused on their careers that they don’t have time for thinking about that kind of thing, so it’s nice to know that there’s still exceptions to that rule”.  
“Well, I’m glad to hear it. Anyway, Miss Chase, I do believe it’s your turn to ask the next question?”  
“Right. What’s your favorite book or book series? Mine’s Ender’s Game, by the way”.  
“Gods, that was a fantastic movie. Anyway, not that I actually get much time to read thanks to my job, but I’d have to say the Hatchet series by Gary Paulsen. Alright, next question... If you had three wishes, what would you use them for?”  
Annabeth paused thoughtfully. “Well, that is a very good question. I’m assuming the rules are the same as those of the genie Robin Williams played in Aladdin: That you can’t kill people, can’t bring people back from the dead, can’t make people fall in love with you, and you can’t wish for more wishes”  
“Well, technically, the genie in Aladdin could actually bring people back from the dead, he just didn’t like to do so...”  
Annabeth chuckled, waving her hand in a jokingly dismissive fashion. “Semantics. Firstly, I’d wish to repair my relationship with my family. Secondly, I’d wish to know why Thalia thought that sleeping with Luke was a good idea. And thirdly, I’d wish to have the money to travel the world. Ever since I became interested in architecture, I’ve wanted to see the Pantheon in Athens and the Coliseum in Rome, as well as a lot of other places. What about you?”  
“My first wish would be... I’d wish that my mom would stay happy. Secondly, that more of my friends would actually take me up on my offer of a free tour at the aquarium. And thirdly... I’d wish for the Genie’s freedom”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we go. More Questions and Answers in the next Chapter, plus maybe the tour of the aquarium as well!  
> Actually, speaking of Aladdin, the Genie, and Robin Williams, did you know that a plot point that was dropped from the ending of the original movie was a scene where the Peddler would have revealed himself to have been Genie all along?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives in this Chapter:  
> Percy Jackson.

“So, Annabeth, what’s your next question? Or have I managed to stump you after only eight questions?”  
We both knew I was joking. Even after only a couple of days of having known each other, I could already tell that Annabeth was not, and had never been, the kind of person who would give up after only asking a few questions. My girlfriend paused to consider her words carefully, and a smile played on her lips as she spoke again. “Well, you already know about Bobby and Matthew, my twin half-brothers, but what about you? How many siblings do you have?”  
“Well, you already know about Triton, my half-brother from my father’s first marriage. Aside from him, the only other sibling I have is Tyson”.  
“Tell me about him?”  
I smiled softly. “There’s not really much to tell. He’s my full brother, born about six months after my parents divorced, so about two and a half years younger than me. He’s a senior in high school at the moment, planning to do a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University”  
“And the two of you get along well?”  
I could tell she was genuinely curious about what kind of relationship Tyson and I had, and I couldn’t help but smile as I answered. “Aside from Grover... and now you, of course... he’s my best friend”.  
“I see. Maybe I could meet him sometime?”  
I nodded. “I’d like that. Anyway, next question. When’s your birthday?”  
“July 12. Yours?”  
“August 18. Alright, next question?”  
Annabeth grinned. “Who’s your celebrity crush?”  
I shrugged. “I can honestly say I’ve never really thought about it. But if I had to choose, it would be either Stana Katic or Keira Knightley. What about you?”  
“Interesting choices. I’d honestly have to go with Daniel Craig. Ever since I saw Skyfall a couple of years ago, I’ve kind of developed this... This love of his character. My second choice would be Nathan Fillion”.  
Well. That’s actually more fitting than I had originally expected. I mused, knowing exactly what I’d ask next. “Alright... Favorite fictional character?”  
Annabeth looked thoughtful for a few minutes as she considered an answer, responding after a couple of minutes. “Wow, that’s a hard one. Are we allowed to choose the player character?”  
“No, because that would just make it too easy”.  
Annabeth nodded “In that case... It’s still an extremely hard choice, but I think I’d have to say my favorite would be Hawkeye from the MCU”.  
“Jeremy Renner’s character, the master archer who spend at least half of Avengers brainwashed by Loki before being knocked unconscious by Black Widow and freed of Loki’s mind control?”  
When my girlfriend nodded, I smiled. “Good choice. Actually, aside from Ulfric Stormcloak in Skyrim, he’d be my top choice as well”.  
Annabeth laughed, and I found myself admiring the way her grey eyes sparkled in the light as she did. “Fair enough. Now, for my next question... what’re the two best things about your job?”  
Ah. I was wondering when a question like this would come up. “For one thing, I’ve always felt this sort of affection towards water and marine creatures. I’ve always found them fascinating, and my job gives me a chance to work with them basically as much as I want and get paid for it. And secondly, school field trip days. I realize that having a group of children running around the aquarium doesn’t exactly sound like a lot of fun, but almost all of the children that I’ve shown around have actually been really well-behaved, and they seemed to show a genuine interest in listening to what I’m trying to teach them about the animals. So now you know what I like most about my job, what’s your answer to the same question?”  
“Well, first would have to be that I get to help people design the houses of their dreams, and the feeling of satisfaction I get when I see how much they like the finished product just can’t be beaten. And secondly, it allows me to work on my dream, which has always been to build something permanent”.  
Maybe we could do that together... I thought, though decided not to voice my thoughts yet. It was way too early in our relationship for that kind of discussion. “That’s actually rather fascinating. Alright, next question. Do you have any nicknames?”  
“Only one, but I’m not exactly fond of it. Back when we were still friends, Luke and Thalia used to call me Annie, and, when Luke and I broke up, I developed a hatred for the name” Annabeth replied softly, before gesturing to me, indicating that it was my turn to answer the same question that I had just asked her. “Thalia gave me the nickname ‘Kelp Head’, referring to my fascination with sea creatures”.  
Annabeth smiled softly, shaking her head. “Doesn’t sound exactly right. How about... Seaweed Brain?”  
I considered the suggestion for a few seconds before nodding in agreement. “I’ll admit that that does sound better than Kelp Head. Fine. Only on the condition that I get to call you Wise Girl”.  
“I like the way Wise Girl sounds. Much better than Annie, at any rate. Agreed then. Now... Are you a cat person, a dog person, both, or neither?”  
“A dog person” I responded instantly.  
“Me too, funnily enough. Cats are just far too sneaky”.  
“I agree. They’re like little furry ninjas”.  
The comparison caused my girlfriend to laugh. Gods, I love her laugh. It’s like music. “That has got to be the most brilliant comparison I’ve heard for a long time. Anyway, next question?”  
“Ah, right. Yes. Do you prefer salty snacks or deserts?”  
She raised an eyebrow. “What, no option for both?”  
“That would just be too easy. So, which will it be?”  
“Salty snacks” she replied.  
I nodded. “I completely agree. Can’t beat a bowl of salted, buttered, popcorn and a movie”.  
“Oh, so true. Okay, what quality is your automatic ‘no fucking way’ when pursuing a potential relationship?”  
“Someone who purposely betrays, lies to, or cheats on their partner. And yours?”  
She paused, considering her answer carefully. “I really want to say blondes with blue eyes and scarred faces, but that might be a bit too specific. Someone who lies about the kind of relationship that they’re looking for, I guess”.  
“Makes sense. Okay. How long did it take for you to start enjoying coffee after you first tried it? Personally, it took me a week”.  
Annabeth considered the question briefly. “Two weeks. It took me a while to figure out exactly how I like to have my coffee. First couple of weeks, it was either too sweet, too bitter, or too creamy. Alright, what is your favorite article of clothing or accessory that you own?”  
“My jacket. It was a gift from my step-father (the one who was formerly my English teacher, not the one who turned out to be a violent and abusive drunkard) when I graduated high school. What about you?”  
She reached a hand up to the locket around her neck, cupping it in her hand. “This locket. It was a birthday present from my mom when I turned 13”.  
“For the record, it really does suit you”.  
Annabeth blushed. And it makes her look all the more beautiful... I seriously hope she can’t hear my thoughts right now. “Thank you, Percy. That means a lot to me, it really does”.  
“I was just stating the truth. But you’re most welcome. Alright, last question. What animal are you the most afraid of?”  
“Spiders. If there’s one near me, I just... freak out. I can’t stand even just thinking about them”.  
She shivered slightly as she spoke, and I had the sudden urge to wrap my arms around her and pull her into a hug. And I would have, if I wasn’t sitting across the table from her. “Perfectly understandable. I think they’re horrid little insects too”.  
The blonde woman managed a small smile, and took a large gulp of her coffee, quickly finishing whatever was left of the liquid. “Well, actually they’re arachnids, Percy. Eight legs instead of six”.  
I nodded. “I know. I was trying to lighten the mood a little”.  
“And it worked, I’ll admit that much. Now it’s your turn to answer the question”.  
I sighed, quickly finishing my own coffee. “Considering my career has me working with sea creatures, it’s going to sound really weird when I say this, but it’s Moray Eels that freak me out the most. They’re fish, but with their snake-like body, protruding snout, and wide jaws, they look like freaking death. Plus they can be up to eight feet long. I’m telling you, you don’t want to mess with those things”.  
Annabeth nodded. “Noted. And this has been fun, getting to learn more about each other”.  
I couldn’t help but smile as the two of us got to our feet, and I pulled her into a hug, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “It really has been. Now, about we head back to the aquarium, and I can give you that tour I promised?”  
She smiled eagerly, returning the kiss before pulling away and taking my hand. “Lead the way”.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives in this Chapter:  
> Percy Jackson

“How long do you have until you have to be back at work?” I queried as we stepped through the sliding doors into the air-conditioned interior of the aquarium, wanting to work out whether I actually had the time to give my girlfriend the tour I had promised her a few days earlier.  
“Well, considering that the only remaining thing that I absolutely have to have finished today is currently on the table in me and Juniper’s apartment, and even that is almost entirely done anyway, pretty much all the time I want. Why do you ask?”  
I smiled, squeezing the blonde girl’s hand gently. “Just wanting to make sure I have time to give you the full tour, that’s all”.  
“Well, lead the way. I’m excited to see what kind of sea creatures you get to work with every day”.  
“It’s not just strictly sea creatures. We have penguins as well”  
Annabeth’s eyes lit up with delight. “You have penguins here?”  
I pretended to think about it, mentally adding the fact that my girlfriend loved penguins into the list of things that I knew about her. “Well, unless something’s changed in the past two hours, yes. Anyway, let me just put my jacket away, and we can get on with the tour”.  
~Five minutes later~  
Ryan came wandering over to me as I left the locker room. “Hey, man. How was your break?” he queried.  
“Pretty good. I’m going to show Annabeth around, since I promised her I’d give her a tour, you mind taking over for a little bit longer?”  
“Of course, man, anything you need. You’d do as much for me one of these days, anyway”.  
I chuckled, patting him on the shoulder playfully. “Get yourself a girlfriend first, Ryan. Then we’ll talk about what favours I owe you”.  
“Fair enough, man. Now, go show your girlfriend around before I change my mind” he retorted jokingly.  
“You got it”.  
I walked quickly back over to where I had left Annabeth, finding her in the same place she had been before we’d left in the first place, watching the red-bellied piranha swimming endlessly back and forth in their tank. I smiled softly to myself at my girlfriend’s fascination with the fish, wrapping my arms around the blonde’s waist and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “Pygocentrus nattereri”.  
My girlfriend glanced up at me in surprise. “Sorry?”  
Quickly realizing that my girlfriend’s surprise was due to the fact that she didn’t understand what I had just said, I was quick to clarify exactly what I had meant. “Pygocentrus nattereri, more commonly known as the red-bellied piranha or red piranha. It’s one of the few species of piranha which is actually considered to be dangerous to humans, though its reputation is actually a lot worse than it deserves”.  
“Tell me more?”  
Glad that someone was actually interested in what I had to say, apart from the usual tour groups of school kids that came to the aquarium, I smiled. “For a start, they’re actually omnivores, not carnivores, and they’re primarily scavengers and foragers”.  
“So what exactly do they feed on?” Annabeth queried, her eyes returning to the fish.  
“Their typical diet includes insects, worms, crustaceans, and other fish, and they prefer insects and plants during the rainy season where food is more abundant” I replied easily.  
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re beginning to sound like a Wikipedia article”.  
I grinned, and then pulled away, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “C’mon, Wise Girl, there’s so much more I want you to see”.  
She went willingly, allowing me to pull her through the room and over to a large open-topped tank. In the middle of the tank was a brown-haired girl about the same age as us, who was staring intently at the surface of the water, occasionally slapping her palm against the liquid as if she was waiting for something. “What do you think is in this tank?” I asked my girlfriend, as I gestured to one of the wooden benches around the room, wordlessly suggesting that we sit down for a few minutes.  
She nodded and sank down onto the bench, examining the tank with calculating grey eyes. “Judging by the size of the tank, something big. Normally I’d say that it would probably be a shark of some kind, but with the way she’s hitting the surface of the water, I think it’s unlikely... Honestly, I don’t know. What is in the tank, Percy?”  
I was about to answer when a sleek black form burst from the water, swiftly enveloping the brown-haired girl’s lower arm in its mouth. Annabeth jumped slightly, giving me a quick glare as I chuckled at the startled expression on her face. “That, Annabeth, is a short-tailed stingray. That particular one’s name is Phoebe. She has a habit of doing that whenever we disturb her nap time. Or when she wants food, which is practically all the time”.  
We watched the girl interact with the sleek black creature for a few minutes more before Phoebe lost interest in what was going on and disappeared back under the surface of the pool. I smiled slightly, helping my girlfriend to her feet and leading her over to the side of the pool. Seeing us, the brown-haired girl smiled and waved, making her way over to join us. “Has Phoebe been behaving herself, Mel?”  
The girl looked up, grinning. “Oh, hey Percy. Yeah, she’s been surprisingly good actually, considering how mischievous she usually is”.  
Annabeth coughed quietly beside me, and I chuckled, knowing instantly what she wanted. “Oh, right. Melody, this is Annabeth Chase, my girlfriend. Annabeth, this is Melody, the aquarium’s resident stingray expert”.  
Melody nodded. “That’s me. Well, technically my full title is ‘stingray expert and enthusiast’, but ‘stingray expert’ is close enough”.  
Annabeth smiled warmly. “It’s nice to meet you, Melody”.  
“Nice to meet you too. Hey, how would you like to be able to touch a stingray barb? It doesn’t involve Phoebe or any of our other short-tails here stinging you, I promise”.  
My girlfriend and I glanced at each other, and she nodded a couple of seconds later. “That would actually be really cool”.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives in this Chapter:  
> Percy Jackson

Melody nodded, turning to a small ledge in the middle of the tank and taking something off of it before turning back to us. In her hand was a slender white piece of a bone-like material, somewhat needle-like in appearance. “Stingrays like Phoebe usually shed their barbs every six months, around the time when new ones grow in. Phoebe shed this herself just a week ago, as a matter of fact”.  
My blonde-haired girlfriend took the barb in her hands gingerly, running a finger along the smooth surface. “It’s not still venomous, is it?” she queried, clearly concerned.  
Mel shook her head. “No. You see, the venom is actually in the sheath of skin that covers the barb when it’s on the stingray’s tail. When the barb falls out, the new one simply replaces it. That’s the one that you don’t want to get touched by”.  
“Okay, I guess that makes sense”.  
“Something else that you probably didn’t know about stingray barbs is that they’re actually made of dentine, the same material that our teeth are made from” Melody added, grinning.   
Annabeth looked surprised. “Seriously?”  
The other girl nodded. “Yup, seriously. That little white barb that you’re holding in your hands right now is made of the same material as your teeth”.  
“That’s absolutely incredible”.  
“Isn’t it just?”  
I squeezed Annabeth’s hand slightly, causing her to glance up at me. “I really hate to interrupt you when you’re talking about stingrays, Mel, but Annabeth and I still have a lot to see” I said simply.  
The girl nodded. “Of course, Percy, I understand completely. Hey, if you see Will, could you let him know that I’m looking for him and that I’m in the stingray pool?”  
I smiled, knowing exactly why she wanted Will to meet her. “Sure, Mel, no problem”  
Annabeth handed the slender piece of dentine back to Mel, who nodded appreciatively, and my girlfriend and I walked away from the tank towards a short flight of stairs that led down to another corridor. Once we were a decent distance away, Annabeth turned to me. “So, tell me something. Who’s Will and why does Melody want us to let him know that she’s looking for him?”  
“Will Solace is our resident medical expert. Melody wants him to meet her by the stingray pool because she’s doing a stingray feeding session and encounter in about forty minutes and she wants him to do a quick check up on the rays just to make sure that they’re not getting sick or anything. Honestly, I think the main reason he actually agrees to do so at least once every day is because he actually has a crush on her”  
“What exactly is a stingray feeding session and encounter?” Annabeth queried.  
I paused, thinking of the best way to answer her question. “It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like, to be honest. People gather around the tank (on the outside of the tank, of course. We don’t want to make the rays feel uncomfortable, after all) while she talks about the stingrays and they get to watch the rays being fed”.  
“It sounds like it would be rather entertaining to watch”  
I laughed. “Oh, it is. It always is. Especially the one time three weeks ago where she asked Ryan to join her in the tank for one show so that the audience could see the way the stingrays reacted to having more than one person in the tank with them”.  
“What did happen?”  
I smiled at the memory. “Ryan was feeding Phoebe. Phoebe was in a rather mischievous mood that afternoon, and she jumped up to splash him with her fins, like she usually does. Unfortunately, the sudden addition of a surprisingly-heavy sea creature’s weight caused him to stumble. He hit the bottom of the tank and came up gasping for air. We were laughing about it for the rest of the week”.  
“That sounds kind of cruel to laugh at somebody else’s misfortune like that…” my girlfriend said quietly.  
“I suppose when you think about it a certain way, it kind of does sound rather cruel. But honestly, he was more surprised than he was actually hurt, and he was laughing about it as well, so I don’t really feel as bad about finding it hilarious as I would otherwise. But really, you get entertained, you get to learn things about stingrays, what’s not to like?”  
“You may have a point there”  
“Of course I do. Anyway, down here…”  
Grasping my girlfriend’s hand tightly, I led her down a corridor to the right. A few minutes later, we reached a strangely-lit tunnel with a black floor that seemed to be divided into sections. I made sure she wasn’t looking before reaching out and turning a small switch on the side, causing a quiet humming sound to fill the air. Annabeth looked around in concern. “Hey, Seaweed Brain?”  
I looked over at her. “Yes, Wise Girl?”  
“What’s that humming sound?”  
“Oh, that? That’s just the conveyor belt. Don’t panic. Remember, I know exactly what I’m doing”.  
I smiled, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead in reassurance. As I went to pull away, she followed me, pressing her lips to mine tenderly. “Of course I trust you, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?”  
“Just one. How do you feel about being underwater, but somehow still remaining completely dry?”  
Before she had a chance to answer the question, I stepped forward onto the closest section of the floor, pulling the blonde-haired girl after me so we stood side by side. Just a couple of seconds later, the section of the floor underneath us started moving, plunging us into the tunnel.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives in this Chapter:  
> Percy Jackson  
> Annabeth Chase

“Okay. Promise me you won’t freak out too much, Wise Girl?”  
My voice was quiet and steady as I spoke. Annabeth nodded, shifting so that her head was resting on my shoulder. “Promise”  
I smiled. This had always been one of my favourite parts of the job. It always amused me to see the expressions people got on their faces at this point of the tour. After a couple of seconds had passed, I spoke again. “Look up”.  
She did so, just in time for an enormous shark to swim overhead. She recoiled slightly in surprise, and I tightened my arms around her, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Don’t worry, it can’t get to us. Neither can any of the other sea creatures, for that matter”  
“What’s separating them from us?” my girlfriend asked quietly.  
“Incredibly strong sheets of acrylic glass that have been moulded in a curved shape. The sheets are lightweight, and not as hard as normal glass, but they don’t smash as easily. When you consider the amount of pressure that the sheer volume of water around us is creating right now, that’s probably a good thing” I replied.  
There was a small carpeted walkway on either side of the conveyor belt (right up against the edges of the tunnel), and I led Annabeth over to one side. Staring into the tank, I queried “Do you see that patch of sand that looks slightly darker than the rest of the sand around it?”  
Annabeth squinted into the tank. “No, not really. Honestly, it all just looks like sand to me”.  
I laughed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought the first time I came down here too. Your eyes tend to play tricks on you when it comes to underwater creatures though. They don’t move very much during the day, but if you watch for long enough something usually happens eventually…”  
As I spoke, the patch of sand we were watching shifted for a second, sending a cloud of sand and silt to rise into the air, and Annabeth gave a quiet gasp. “What is that?”  
“That is a wobbegong, also known as a carpet shark. They’re usually found around Australia and Indonesia, though one variety has been found around Japan”.  
“It doesn’t look much like a shark. Aren’t they usually… more streamlined than that?”  
I nodded. “Usually, yes. But the fact that the wobbegong doesn’t resemble other sharks is partly what makes it such an impressive predator. Look, you can barely even see it now”.  
-Annabeth Chase-  
I stared into the tank, watching the cloud of sand that had been displaced by the shark’s movements as it settled lazily on the bottom once more. He was right, it really was impressive. I doubt I would have even known it was there had he not pointed it out to me in the first place. “It’s almost scary how effective at camouflaging itself the wobbegong is, isn’t it? You definitely wouldn’t want to go into the water with one of those around”.  
His voice was low and gentle, almost reverent, as he stared at the patch of sand where we both knew the shark was hiding. “Why? Is it a very dangerous species?” I queried.  
I could feel the motion as he shook his head beside me. “I wouldn’t say that they’re very aggressive or dangerous to us humans, not as a general rule. But they have been known to bite people who accidentally stand on them in shallow water as well as SCUBA divers who poke or touch them. And even if unprovoked, they do sometimes bite divers, surfers or snorkelers who come too close to their hiding spot”.  
“Oh”.  
“Yup. They have a lot of very small, but extraordinarily sharp, teeth, as well as a bite that can be extremely severe, no matter whether the diver is wearing a wetsuit or not. Plus they’re very flexible as well. Even grabbing one by the tail won’t stop it from biting” Percy replied.  
I shivered instinctively. “Great. Thanks for the mental picture, I now have a totally different reason to hate the water”.  
My boyfriend placed a gentle kiss to my forehead and wrapped his arms slightly tighter around me. I leaned into his side, resting my head on his shoulder. I love how passionate he is about the ocean and sea creatures, and the way his eyes lit up with delight when he was telling me what he liked about his job. Now I can see why. “They’re almost never found outside of their usual habitats. So unless you happen to pick one of those locations to go swimming, then you really don’t have much to worry about”.  
“Thanks for the warning. I feel much better now”  
Funny thing was, if I had said it to anyone else, it might have been said in a sarcastic manner. But when I said it to Percy, for some reason I found myself actually meaning it. As if his warning really did make me feel better. “Hey, Wise Girl”  
Percy gave me a gentle nudge, breaking me from my thoughts. I blinked in surprise. “Yes, Seaweed Brain?”  
“Do you want to see my personal favourite shark breed?”  
I smiled. “Sure, why not?”  
“Great”.  
He lifted one hand, pointing towards a menacing-looking brown and white shark. “That’s the sandtiger shark, more commonly known as the grey nurse shark. Isn’t it magnificent?”  
“It’s certainly an incredible-looking creature. Though those teeth do look rather sharp”.  
“Actually, sandtiger sharks are extremely docile and have almost never been known to attack humans, whether provoked or unprovoked. Plus their mouths are actually not large enough to produce human fatalities, so that doesn’t really help them either”.  
I glanced at him. “Careful, you’re sounding like a Wikipedia article again”.  
He laughed. “Oh, like you’d be any better at stopping yourself from sharing random pieces of information if we went to the Empire State Building or the Hoover Dam”.  
I quickly found myself laughing too, if only because it was so simply true. He was right, I probably would have an extremely hard time trying to resist sharing everything I knew about how any particular sight was actually built if we ended up visiting it. And this obviously meant a lot to him, it would be rude of me to force him to stop talking just because I got tired of listening to him (which I’m honestly not sure could happen, just because it’s obviously something he’s so excited about and his excitement is contagious). “Okay, point taken. You’re right, I almost certainly would find myself in the same position if we did visit any of those locations”  
And maybe we can do just that in the future… I thought idly. My boyfriend squeezed my hand lightly. “Come on, let’s go further down the tunnel. There’s still so many wonderful creatures to see”.  
Enjoying the excitement radiating from the black-haired young man whose hand was currently clasped in mine, wanting to see exactly what he wanted to show me, I smiled. “Just lead the way”.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives in this Chapter:  
> Percy Jackson

~Percy Jackson~  
“Come on, this way”.  
We reached the end of the tunnel, and I stepped off of the conveyor belt onto a small flight of stairs, my girlfriend close behind me. “What are we going to see next?” she asked.  
I smiled, pulling my id card from my pocket and walking over to a less obvious door marked ‘Staff Only’. Annabeth gave me a confused look. “Seaweed Brain, you know that that door says that it’s for staff only, right?”  
I grinned at her. “Of course. But what use is being able to access awesome behind-the-scenes type stuff if I can’t actually show you any of it?”  
“Fair point. Just try not to make a habit of it please”.  
“I promise not to make a habit of this. At least, I won’t after today”.  
Turning my attention back to the door, I swiped the ID card and quickly keyed in a 4-digit code before pulling the door open. “Alright, follow me”.  
She nodded, following me into a well-lit hallway with long glass windows on either side. “This is… interesting. And not quite what I expected, if I’m entirely honest. What are these rooms for?”  
I smiled, gesturing to the closer of the two rooms. “The room on the left is storage for the newer arrivals, at least until we get their new tanks properly in order. Do you see the small container in the back there?”  
She stared into the room thoughtfully. “The one with ‘Touch Pool’ written on the side in large red and black letters?”  
“Yes, that’s the one. We’re adding a couple of interactive exhibits for kids in the next couple of weeks, and a touch pool is going to be one of the first ones added. Come on, I’ll show you”.  
“Are you sure that that’s allowed, Percy?”  
I nodded, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I wouldn’t be offering to show you if I wasn’t sure. Besides, most of the creatures in the touch pool’s tank are already used to humans, and I’m sure that those that aren’t quite there yet could benefit from your presence too. So, what do you say?”  
My girlfriend looked doubtful for a couple of seconds before nodding. “Let’s do it. I promised myself I’d stop passing up any opportunities life offered me, and this is the perfect time to try something new”.  
“Isn’t it just?”  
With that agreed on, I pulled open the sliding glass door and stepped into the slightly-cooler room, Annabeth close behind me. “Air conditioning, right?” she queried, noticing the slightly cooler air almost immediately (as I had expected she would).  
I nodded in agreement, reaching behind her to tug the door shut again. “Yes. The fish and other assorted sea creatures that we keep in here prefer slightly cooler temperatures, so we have an air conditioning unit set to keep the temperature in this room at slightly colder than room temperature at all times”.  
“Very cool”.  
I found myself pausing in mid-step for a second, stunned by her response. Did she really just say that? “Just over here”.  
I walked over and knelt down beside the storage tank, letting my hand fall over the side into the water, where it was almost immediately swarmed by a group (4 or 5 of them, they were moving around so rapidly that it was hard to tell) of baby stingrays. Glancing up at my blonde-haired girlfriend, I gave her an encouraging smile. “They won’t hurt you, if that’s what you’re worried about. Well, except for Rusty, but he’s always a bit grouchy this time of day anyway so try not to dwell too much on it”.  
“Rusty?”  
As she spoke, she crouched next to me, letting her hand fall into the clear liquid in the tank and watching as the baby stingrays which had been swarming my hand immediately flocked to hers. “Wow. That is a seriously odd sensation. Are you sure they won’t hurt me though? I mean, what happens if one gets overly excited or something?”  
I gave a reassuring smile, pressing my lips to hers gently. “I wouldn’t worry about that”.  
“You wouldn’t?”  
“No. The interesting thing about these little guys is that we actually trim their tail barbs every so often, and we do so until they grow old enough (and comfortable enough around people) to be added into the main stingray tank. As Mel said earlier, their tail barbs are made of keratin, so it doesn’t actually harm them. It’s basically like trimming the stingray version of a human’s toenails”.  
“You’re right, that is actually really interesting. Not something that I’d ever really thought about before today, definitely, but still really interesting. It still doesn’t answer my earlier question though. Who, or what, is Rusty?”  
I laughed. “Rusty is the storage tank’s resident hermit crab (and, soon, the touch pool’s). His name comes from the fact that everything he takes for a shell is, co-incidentally, a rust-brown in colour. Or at least close enough so as not to make a difference to him”.  
“You said he usually gets grouchy about this time every day, right? Why would that be?”  
“It’s his feeding time”.  
I stood and walked around the edge of the tank so that I could reach the spot that Rusty had basically claimed as his own. As I reached into my pocket and withdrew a small packet of walnuts, opening them, I could feel my girlfriend’s piercing grey eyes on me. “Percy, I thought you said it was his feeding time, not yours”.  
“It is his feeding time. Watch”.  
Out of the corner of my eye, I was dimly aware of her shifting the way that she sat to get a better look of what was going on. I knelt, eyeing the small crustacean in front of me. “Hi, Rusty. I’ve got a little something special for you to try today”.  
I tipped a single walnut out of the bag into my open palm, and slowly, carefully, lowered it towards the crab. Almost immediately, a pair of dark brown antennae emerged from the depths of the shell, followed a couple of seconds later by a small face and a pair of claws. One of the claws, the one closest to me, immediately shot out and snatched the walnut from my hand before disappearing back into his shell. Annabeth raised an eyebrow. “Wow. He does not like to stick around, does he?”  
“He definitely does not. On the subject of food, I suppose I should feed the stingrays too”.  
I stood and reached up, taking a grey steel bucket filled with raw shrimp from one of the shelves. “This is the only thing they’ll eat at the moment. Hey, do you want to try feeding them? It’s not too difficult, all you have to do is hold the shrimp just over the surface of the water and they do the rest”.  
Annabeth considered the question, before nodding, moving to my side and extending her hand. “Alright, why not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this has officially caught up with where the other places that I'm posting this are up to. It'll be a few days at least before I post the next chapter, so please be patient with me, and I'll try not to take too long to get it up.


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